Page 16 of Snow Blind

"Been thinking about you a lot lately," the strong male voice said. "I know you moved, and I didn't know where to send my annual Christmas card. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm okay, Daddy," she said, gripping the steering wheel. "How is everything on your end?"

"Dunno. I am feeling nostalgic, I guess. Me and the holiday season," Darnell Nelson told his daughter. "It's been so long since I've seen you, Punkin. It would be nice to see you, be a real part of your life. Maybe when you have some kids, I can, you know, see my grandkids, be a part of their lives."

He went through this every holiday season. It was Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it also made her sad that this was the extent of her relationship with her father. Perhaps it was time for a change for them all. She'd talk to Mustang about meeting him and... who knew?

"Daddy, let me see what I can do. You have some time off that you could use for a visit. Would you like that?"

She could hear him smiling through the phone. "I'd like that, Punkin. I'd like that a lot. I am putting in my retirement paperwork soon and will have time on my hands. I just hope...I dunno what I'm hoping for really. I'm just hoping."

"I will call you back in a couple of days when I can work it all out," she told him.

"Love you, Punkin. I really do," Darnell said.

"Love you, back Daddy," she said and disconnected the blue tooth. "Well, fuck me sideways."

She wanted to turn off the phone but didn't. As she finally made it into town, a few thoughts crossed her mind. Bryan needed mental stimulation. A bookstore would be great if he liked to read. Possibly a few puzzles. It became the first stop.

The bookstore wasn't very large and didn't have a big selection of fiction, but it was enough to get a soul started on a few conversational reads. She thought of her ex, who fancied himself a reader of action-adventure stories for men. Helen located a Clive Cussler, a Clancy, and a James Patterson. For good measure, she added a Koontz.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she raised her eyes to spot the man following her about the store. For good measure, she circled back around the shelving unit and added a Garwood to the pile. Now he wasn't trying to hide following her about the place.

"Sir, it would be difficult to steal five of these thick books, which I can check out at the library for free if you don't want my business," Helen said, challenging him.

"Oh no, I'm sorry," he said, holding up his hands in defense. "You are simply...lovely."

"Excuse me?" Helen asked, wondering what fresh hell this creeper was about to unleash on her. She placed her hand in her jacket pocket, feeling for her knives.

"You're lovely," the man said. "You don't have any of those long fake acrylic nails or those caterpillar eyelashes or garish makeup. Your hair is natural without a bunch of extensions, and you are simply refreshing to look at. Just lovely."

"Thank you," she said, taking the last book to the register.

"I've never seen you here before. Are you new to the area?"

"Passing through," she told him.

"If you pass through again, would you be interested in lunch, maybe coffee, I mean I don't see a ring," he said, looking down at her fingers.

Helen blinked several times. He was asking her out on a date. It had been so long since a man had actually approached her like he had some sense and asked her out without yelling at her across a store or calling her Shawty or Miss Ma'am. She gave a slight smirk.

"Flattered, but I'm taken," she said, watching the sales lady ring up the sales.

"Just thought I'd shoot my shot. Pretty lady like you, I should have known," the man said, watching the clerk totaling her purchases.

Helen paid cash and left the store. She tossed the items on the backseat of the Subaru before making her way over to the local big box store. The uneasiness returned as she shopped for items for Bryan, thinking of function over form, including a button-down sweater and easy slip-on shirts. She felt she’d scored big when she located gym pants that snapped up the legs, creating an easy on and off situation for the cast. When she looked up, the man from the bookstore was also in the same aisle. She now looked at him differently.

Helen processed the man as a threat, a six foot, two-hundred-pound, solid mass of a threat. Passion Fruit's words came back to her; she would need to catch him off guard and drop him to get away if it came to such ends.

"I see you do have a man," he said.

"Listen, whatever you're thinking, you don't want none of this," Helen said. "My sweet appearance is a façade, and I will hurt you."

"Whoa? I spotted you when I came into the store. I wasn't following you," the man said. "No harm."

A security guard approached them, asking, "Miss, is this man bothering you?"

"Yes, he is," Helen said. "He's following me about the store and making me uncomfortable."

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